The Struggles to be Together
by AccmZenni
Summary: The story starts from the ending of SO ln 12. Contains spoilers
1. Chapter 1

Hi, so I became a bit lazy and decided not to go through with my Sword Princess Story. I will, however, get back to writing my Apollo alternative story soon. Hopefully.

So, after reading Angelo's synopsis for SO 12, I wanted to see where I could take the story from where (**Spoiler)** Ais was sitting down next to Bell towards the end of the volume. So this story contains spoliers.

This will also be AisxBell. Hope you guys enjoy.

The Sword Princess looked at the white-haired boy sitting down, leaning against the wall. Feeling tired, she went towards him and sat down beside him. As she continued to look at him, his head lost its balance and fell onto her shoulder. She then heard some mumbling.

"I-I love youu." The young boy drowsily stated.

It felt like something had struck her heart. Who did he love? Why did her bunny want someone else? She heard his Grand Bell, and it gave her the will to break free from the black flames that controlled her and win against Revis. Thousands of thoughts entered her mind, and as her heart was starting to break… 

"Aizz. I-I love you."

A blush tinted her cheeks red and a smile formed in her face. He loved her? She couldn't remember the last time someone, other than her mother, had said that. A rush of happiness swam through her. Deep down she knew she had feelings for the boy, but didn't realise what they were. At the beginning, she only wanted to know how he could grow so fast. But as time went on, she began to grow more and more attached to him. She knew he was a person she wanted to be close with but couldn't say why. Not until now.

As she continued to stare at him, she couldn't help but to stroke his hair.

"Tchhh." A level 6 werewolf clicked his tongue as he saw the display. The Princess affectionately stroking the bunny's hair. Made him sick to his stomach. All he could do now was turn in his head in disgust and leave.

Aiz knew Bell was not going to wake up anytime soon. She could see his mind was completely worn out, so she could wake him up even if she tired. All she could do now was rest next to him. As he moved his head to her lap, so he would be more comfortable, she rested her head against the wall and slowly drifted to sleep…

_**Half an hour later…**_

"Aiz… Aiz…. Aiz". Her eyes slowly opened, and she could see four blurry figures surrounding her. As her eyes started to adjust, she could see who the four figures were that were staring at her. First was the captain of her familia, a short, blonde prum, second was the green-haired high elf Riveria, and the other two were the level 6 twin-sisters Tiona and Tione.

They all started at her with slight smiles, as they were all glad to see that she was safe…. And that she was in good company.

"So, I see you liked the idea of lap-pillowing." The high elf snickered, believing it was the perfect time to start teasing the young princess.

"I think argonaut-kun likes it more." The younger Hyrute twin stated, wanting to embarrass her sister.

"Captaaain, I want a lap-pillow." The older twin shouted, grabbing the arm of the little prum captain.

"Ummm…", Was the only thing he could reply back with. Seeing Aiz beet-red and Tione grasping him, he knew he had to change the topic.

"As much as we can see you're enjoying spending time with your little friend, we need to head back to the surface." …As a glint of sadness crossed the sword princesses' eyes, the prum continued... " As we can see Mr Cranel is injured, would you be so kind as to carry him back."

A wide smile spread across Ais's face, which then turned bright red as the other members of her familia gave her a knowing look.

The route back to the surface was quite peaceful. No monsters were powerful enough to actually give them any trouble. The only thing that was on her mind was what she should tell Bell when he wakes up. She knew that Bell likes her now, but he wouldn't know that she now knows. The only thing that kept her mind off that conversation was the constant teasing from her familia members on 'When will the marriage be?'.

_**After reaching the surface… **_

Ais had dropped of Bell at a hospital to recuperate from his mind down, instructing one of her familia members to tell his familia. Although she would have liked to stay with him, she had to go back to her residence and have a meeting with the rest of her familia.

_**In the Loki residence….**_

"Now that we have defeated Enyo and stopped his plans, we can finally rest a bit easy. We will bury and mourn for those who have fallen, but know their sacrifices had stopped a great evil." The familia's captain finished his speech, while the rest of the familia cheered on. One of the greatest threats had been removed from Orario, and they had finally gotten revenge for their fallen comrades.

After a huge feast to celebrate their victory, the family leaders and the level 6's had a small meeting.

"So Ais, how did the fight with Revis go?" The golden-haired prum asked.

"My sword broke, but I managed to defeat her after hearing a bell." She responded back with a small smile gracing her lips. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of her familia members.

"Ohhh, I heard the bell too, it got my pumped up!" The short haired Amazonian replied.

"Yes, I believe that was Mr Cranel. I would like to visit him soon, after his injuries have healed, to ask him about it".

"Yea, I heard the bell too. Piss'd me off." Bete responded. To say he was shocked that Bell defeated THAT creature was an understatement. In one hit no less. And then when he walked in on Ais stroking Bell's hair, it was the last straw from him. Who did the kid think he was!

The rest of the familia decided to ignore Bete's last statement. They could clearly see that he was annoyed at the young adventurer. Whereas Ais glared at Bete. He had insulted the boy she cared about too much, and she wouldn't allow him to continue doing so.

"Shut up Bete." The Sword Princess stated with venomous intent. Every person present just stared at the golden-haired girl with their eyes wide open. She was always so passive, so speaking to one of her familia members with such hatred, defending a boy, was eye opening. The boy had changed her. They all knew her attachment to him, but they didn't believe it was to this extent.

Even Bete was taken aback. As Finn was the first one to regain his focus, he knew he had to defuse the situation. Although Bete was clearly in the wrong, Finn needed her to know her loyalty should always lie with her familia and not with adventurers from other familias.

"Ais, lets just calm down. Bete's being an idiot, but you shouldn't hate him for it. Although I like the Mr Cranel, he's not in our familia, and I need to know that you know that your loyalty should be for us over others".

The rest of the familia members just watched this play out. Even Loki was uncertain what to say or do. They had to make sure that Ais knew her loyalty was for them above anyone else, without pushing her away.

"I understand". Was the only response they had gotten out of her. With that, she left.

_**A couple of days Later.**_

*Swnnnng* The sword princess was training in the garden of her residence. She had been more quiet than usual, and that's saying something. Although she would still eat with her sisters, she would go out of her way to avoid Bete, which annoyed him even more than he had been. It was been 2 days since she had gone back to the dungeon, although she had been training, she hadn't been back there since they defeated Enyo. The leaders of the familia noticed this and just though they should give her time to calm down.

On the other hand, Ais could only think of the next time she see's Bell. She couldn't wait any longer, and today was the day she was going to visit him in the hospital.

_**On the way to the hospital.**_

As Ais walked down the streets of the labyrinth city, she was ignoring all the stares she was getting, truth be told, she was used to them and she didn't care about them anymore. She stopped. She could feel the pair of eyes piercing into her soul. This was no ordinary man, he was the one on top. The King. Ottar.

"Lady Freya would like to see you," were the only words to come out of his mouth. He motioned for her to follow him, which she did.

_**In Freya's Residence.**_

She had been here before. A few times actually. She had spared with the King in her quest to get stronger. However, in exchange, she was indebted towards Freya. What would Freya ask of her? To join her familia? To help with a quest? Deep in thought, she realised she was standing outside Freya's room.

"Go in". The Boar ordered her.

As she opened the doors, she was met with a smiling face. Freyas. But the eyes, seemed, angry?

"Hello Sword Princess".

Ais gave a slight bow in response.

"I see you were heading towards the hospital, anyone in particular you would be seeing?" Freya knew Ais had a connection with Bell. The training, her saving him, the lap pillows. All of these extremely annoyed her. It was finally time to ask for 'compensation' for allowing her to train with Ottar.

"I was going to see a friend". Knowing that Ais couldn't lie to her, Freya decided to push on her questioning.

"Would you mind telling me which friend?".

Ais hesitated at first, but eventually said the name. "Bell".

The two ladies stared at each other. Ais had a feeling from a meeting with her, Loki and Freya, that Freya was after the boy, although she hoped she was wrong.

"Ais, I have allowed you to train with Ottar. You have become stronger, no?"

The sword princess nodded.

"Well then, shouldn't I be rewarded for helping someone, who's not only not in my familia, but a member of a rival familia?"

Ais looked at the woman sitting on her throne for a few seconds, waited, then nodded.

"Good". Freya smiled. "From now on, I want you to have nothing to do with Bell.

She felt her heart shatter. She knew what would happen if she declined Freya's proposal. War. She had to respect her wishes and give back a favour which she owed. She didn't want to cause death and destruction to her familia, but she didn't want to let Bell go. All she could let out was a small whimper...

"Why".

"Because that boy is mine. His clear soul belongs to me. I could take him whenever I wanted but am choosing to watch him grow, and letting his soul shine". Freya replied back with a small smile forming on her lips.

These words broke Ais on the inside. The bunny she longed for was going to be stolen by the evil sitting across from her. But Ais knew she had to keep her mouth shut at this moment, although it pained her to do. All she could do is nod back.

After the meeting, she was escorted out of the manor by Ottar. Deep in though and on the verge of tears, she walked along the street back to the Loki residence, but came to a stop. Three figures were staring at her. Their eyes covered in betrayal and pity. Finn, Riveria and Gareth. It was at this moment, she realised that she had been caught.

And that's that, next chapter will start to focus on Bell. Hope you enjoyed reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to mention, this chapter is really spoiler heavy for things that happened during SO Ln12**

**In the streets of Orario…**

"It's the Loki Familia".

"They seem angry".

"Is that the Sword Princess?".

Although they could hear the whispers, none spoke a word to each other. The golden-haired girl was escorted back to the residence in complete silence. No-one knew what to say. The leaders were upset and in deep thought by Ais's seemingly betrayal, whereas the sword princess was upset by the fact not only was she stopped for seeing the boy she craved, but now her familia members were angry with her. It was selfish for her to seek training from a rival familia's member, but she needed to get stronger. Though she couldn't stand the thought of what Riveria may be feeling at this moment.

**In the Loki Familia's Residence.**

Loki and all of the familia leaders were staring at Ais. No-one wanted to speak first, even Loki was having a hard time coming to grasp with the situation. That was until a certain werewolf spoke up.

"Ais, ya betrayed this family". The werewolf practically spat out.

"We don't know that". The younger Amazonian sister chimed in.

"Tchh. We saw 'er go into tha mansion!" Bete shouted back.

The rest of the members could tell how pissed Bete was. Not that they weren't angry themselves, but his unrestraint and his feelings for Ais showed. They could tell this wasn't the only thing he was angry about. Her ignoring him, and her choosing to defend Bell both played a major role.

"Shut up you stupid dog!" This time the elder Twin stepped in.

"Shut up! Why ar' ya defendin' 'er?!"

"Listen you stupid mut-."

"BE QUIET!". The High elf spoke up.

Silence fell on the room.

Bete and Tiona gave eachother stares.

Tiona was taken aback.

Fin rubbed his temple

And Gareth just sighed.

"Wat were ya thinkin' Ais?" Loki finally asked.

All eyes were on the sword princess. They wanted to know what had motivated her to take such drastic action go to anothers familia. As their gazes became more intense, the golden-haired girl's lips started to move.

"I wanted to get stronger". She stated in a monotone voice.

"So wat, you went to train with 'em?!" Loki shouted back.

Ais looked down.

"Ya know Freya's gonna want something back for her helpin' ya right?!"

"…"

"Ughhh, ur makin' dis hard on yerself! Finn!". Loki asked for Finn to talk some sense into her.

"Ais, we don't know what she could ask of you. If you don't fulfil her request, she may impose war upon us. Maybe just as bad, she could ask you to join her familia or worse, betray us. We need to be able to trust you Ais, but your actions aren't allowing that to happen. Why did you go to Freya's residence today?" The short Prum captain questioned, hoping to get answers.

Silence.

Ais looked up.

"She said what she wanted".

This peaked everyone's interest. As their eyes started to narrow, Riveria was the one to ask the question.

"What did she want?" Riveria let out a whisper.

Ais stared at Riveria.

A tear fell from her eye.

Riveria's eyes opened wide. Ais crying? She couldn't remember the last time Ais showed this type of emotion. Something bad must've happened. Her anticipated was cut short as Ais replied back.

"S-She a-asked me to stay away from B-Bell".

Silence.

No one had the courage to reply back to the tearful girl.

No-one except a certain loudmouth werewolf.

"Pfttt, haahahahahahaha". Bete's laughter filled the room.

The only thing the familia members could do now was glare at the mutt. But he didn't stop. Instead, he let out a growl and say the following.

"What! Tomato-boy's got Freya after 'im now. Isnt dis a good thing?! She gave you trainin' and the only thing she ask'd was not to see the little rabbit. He's not even in our familia! You all agree that she should't hang ou' with him. It's a win-win."

All the eyes turned back onto the sword princess. Although it was true Bete was being an ass, he had a point. Ais was becoming too attached to the boy. Although the change was welcome at first, as she started paying more attention to something else besides the dungeon, it's getting to a point where Ais's loyalty is being questioned. Freya's request may have worked out for them as well.

The prum captain was the only to speak. Knowing he had to be compassionate, but also strict. He knew she could no longer see the young white-haired adventurer.

"Ais, you know this means seeing the boy could lead to going to war with Freya, don't you? I know this may be hard, but we cannot risk it. I'm sorry, but from now on, you cannot see Bell Cranel".

**On the other side of Orario, in a certain hospital.**

**Bell POV:**

As my eyes open, I can four people standing on either side of my bed. Welf and Lily standing on the right side, and Hestia and Haruhime standing on the left. Focusing more on them, I notice that they're all smiling.

"BELL-KUNNNN! YOU'RE AWAKE!" The twin-tailed is the first one to speak. Or in this case, shout.

"Master Bell, im glad to see you're awake". The golden-haired renart softly states.

"Hey'a Bell. Good to see ya awake. Heard you beat the big boss. Well done!" My familia smith exclaims to his captain.

Rather than speaking, Lili just jumps onto Bell laughing now that he's awake. This does not sit well with either Hestia of Haruhime, as they both grab the little prum girl and throw her off the bed. Well try to, the prum is stronger than she looks.

Bell just laughs at the predicament, thinking to himself how lucky he is to have a familia like them. Just as he's about to stop their little quarrel, a memory enters his head, but before he can entertain it…

"Say, Bell, what was the creature that you beat? I heard that a Bell could be heard throughout the maze, just like the time you defeated the black goliath. Did it seem like another irregular?" Stopping the bickering, the head of the Familia asked, curious as to what the creature was.

Silence.

Bell didn't know what to say. He could just answer her question by saying it was a powerful dragon, but he honestly didn't know if it was a dragon or an irregular monster. The only thing he know right now was that it was strong. Very strong.

"Umm, I think it might've been". He replied back with a forced laugh, his hand stroking the back of his head.

"What about you Welf? Or you Lily?"

Both shrugged.

'Hmm. Flatsy should know', Hestia thought.

"Well anyway well-done Bell. I heard that if it hadn't been for you, who knows what would've happened. Take that Loki and Freya!"

"Umm... so how long have I been asleep?"

"Only a couple of days. Your mind down was bad this time, took all the energy out of you. But don't worry, with a little rest here, you'll be able to come back to the mansion".

"You're not the only one who did great. Lil'e actually got Finn to give her command of two of the groups. She ended up leading both of 'em". The red-haired smith proclaimed, as he nudged lily, who just blushed as a response, frantically waving her arms.

"Ohh, well done lily, that's amazing. Leave it to our chief strategizer to take command from Finn". Bell responded, with Lily's face becoming practically on fire.

"Say, where's Mikoto?" Bell asked, curious as to where the last member of his Familia was.

"She's in the mansion, guarding it with her old Familia members. She said she was sorry for not being here", Hestia replied.

"Ahh no problem. Well anyway thank you guys for coming". Bell stated, giving a small boy to his Familia members.

Next thing he knew, all three girls pounced on Bell, telling him to not worry about it and that they would take care of him while he was in the hospital.

"ALL OF YOU OUT!" A nurse shouts at the three girls causing a commotion. "Not only did Bell enter the dungeon barely healed from his last 'expedition', this time, he was completely mind down! Out. Out. Out."

"Fine. Let's go. See you later Bell, rest up". And with that the Hestia Familia members left.

As Bell drifted back into his small slumber, he knew there was something missing. Something that he should be remember, but couldn't. Hoping it was not important, he gave in and let his muscles relaxing, taking him to sleep.

**At the highest point of the Babel tower, A woman sat on her throne, sipping a cup of wine, smiling. A large Boar-man stood next to her.**

"Hmm, so he's woken up. Good. I guess it's finally time to pay him a visit". She took another sip, then gave the cup to her attendant, as she stared down below to the hospital.

Finally, she stood up.

And that's that. Thanks for your reviews, I really appreaciate the feedback. Sorry this chapter wasn't that long and was a bit boring, I just had to set everything up. See you guys next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again. Sorry for the late update. It took a while to get the ideas in my head into writing.

Shin Hyoo Jun : So some parts were references, (spoiler) like how Bell defeated a high level creature and Ais's training with Ottar, but the rest is mostly my fanfic.

* * *

"Sir, Lady Freya is on the move. She and Ottar and heading towards the hospital Bell Cranel is staying in".

"Hmm. Okay, head to gareth and relay this information. Tell no one else". Finn replied to the level 4 Nord, not wanting to let a certain golden-haired girl know what was going on.

Ever since Loki had found out about her training sessions with Ottar, she had not been allowed to leave the Manor. Even when Riveria had asked to escort Ais to the dungeon, she was not able to do so. So instead of going to the dungeon, the golden-haired girl just trained in the manors garden.

'_Right now, Ais was a wild card. If she found out about Freya going to see Bell, who knows what could happen. There might even be a war between Familia's. Let's hope not'. _The prum captain thought to himself.

* * *

Currently, Ais was in her room, finally getting some rest. Though she didn't want to. Whenever she didn't keep herself busy, the only thing she could think of was that red-eyed adventurer.

'_Why did Freya ask her not to see him anymore?' _This was the one thought that kept on returning to her mind_. Maybe she didn't want the Loki and Hestia familia to be allies due to Bells growth? Or was it something else?_ Recalling the conversation between Loki and Freya at the restaurant about a certain boy that caught Freya's interest, the person sounded a lot like Bell. _Was Freya interested in Bell? What if she takes him?! _

Her mind was going haywire. She needed to leave. She needed answers. But how? Junior members of her familia were keeping an eye on her, she couldn't just ditch them, they'd just tell Finn. She didn't want to hurt them either.

Currently there was nothing she could do in terms of escaping. So, she did the only thing she could at this moment. Picking up her sword, the sword princess decided to go to the garden and train.

* * *

It was dark.

The only thing the rabbit could see at the moment was dim lights in the distance.

"Captaaaain….Captaaaaain".

"Yes Tione?"

"We defeated it them! Now we can get married" The cheery Amazonian proposed.

"It doesn't work like that Tione." Fin said, with a weary smile

"Lets go see what Ais is up to!" The younger sister suggested.

The scenery changed. Bell was now looking at himself laying down….. on a girl's lap? As he looked up, he could see her golden fair flowing, and her eyes staring down at him.

"Aiss..I…Love…you".

Bells cheeks fired up.

"Bell… I… Love you too".

Bell grabbed his cheeks, scared they would explode. Even if this was a dream, he was happy. This was what he wanted. What he trained so hard for. This was the reaction he would one day want to hear in real life.

However, the more the Bell thought about this, and the scenery around them, the more he felt like he had seen this all before. He could feel being in her arms, while she stroked his hair. As he looked at the tent behind him, something snapped in his brain. He remembered! This wasn't a dream, it was…

"Bell…..Bell…."

As Bell opened his eyes, he could make out a figure. It was… alluring. The softness of her voice. Her body. But the gaze. He felt it. It was the same gaze always on him. Piercing into his very soul. Once his eyes finally adjusted, he could see a beautiful woman staring at him, smiling. It was that lady he had seen at the banquet, and once again in the balcony of Ishtar's mansion. It was her. The lady they called Freya.

"Bell, your awake". She stated with her signature smile.

"L-Lady F-Freya, h-hi". Bell replied, cheeks burning red.

"Just call me Freya Bell".

"I see you're feeling better. I heard about your heroics in defeating _that creature_, so I came just to check up on you". Freya stated as she stroked Bells cheeks.

"O-ohh, u-umm, t-thank you". Bell could only reply with a stutter.

Freya's smile deepened. She could see how red Bell's face was, and the way he was replying to her. _So cute! _

"Bell why aren't the rest of your familia here?" Freya asked, not to cause suspicion on her side.

"Umm, well, they had to leave so I could rest some more". Bell replied, not wanting to share the real reason, where they were all kicked out for being too loud and causing havoc.

"Oh, well, hopeful you are well rested, aren't you Bell?" Freya questioned

"Y-yes, t-thank you".

"Well then, would you like to come with me Bell, there is something I wish to show you. Take it as a thanks for defeating that creature".

* * *

To say Bell was taken a-back was an understatement. What could she show him? Why did she want to reward him, he defeated the creature through the support of the other people. Either way, he knew he had to be careful. He was about to enter the belly of the beast.

Bell was amazed.

The paintings of ancient battles on the walls, the new yet vintage looking furniture, even the lighting. It was like nothing he had seen before. Even in size, his Familia's mansion was nothing compared to this.

As Freya and Bell took a stroll around the manor, all eyes were on them; piercing into Bell. There was an aura of death and jealousy in the atmosphere. Especially by a certain cat-person Bell had run into before. He was the same person who defeated that monster and saved Syr.

Thinking back to that memory, Bell looked down, ashamed he wasn't strong enough at that time to protect her and that child.

Freya noticed Bell's sudden shift in mood, so in hopes to make him happy, she decided to tell stories about old heroes, ones so secretive, she knew even Bell wouldn't have heard about them. Through 'observing' Bell, she was aware that he loved stories, especially of heroes, and she could use this to her advantage.

"Bell have you heard the story of Hercules?"

He nodded.

"Did you know he had a long-lost twin brother?"

"He did?" Bell asked, curious as to why there was no mention of him.

"Well, he was separated from his brother by Hades, who took him to the underworld, in hopes to raise a new invincible soldier. Would you like to hear what happened next?" Freya stated, with a small smile and teasing tone.

Bell nodded profusely.

"As he was being trained, he fell in love with one of the spirits, whom Hades was torturing. He couldn't stand the idea of her being in pain, so he made a plan".

Suddenly, Bell's tunnel vision was gone. Freya had just opened a colossal double door and was now motioning Bell to enter, which he did.

"I guess I can finish the story later". Freya knew Bell was intrigued. She also knew there was no point in finishing it now. She wanted to tease him, make him wait like she had to.

Although Bell wanted to hear more of the story, he couldn't help but stare at amazement in the room around him. Not only was it lavish, everything seemed to be complimentary of each other. From decorations of the ceilings, to the drapes on the windows, to even the throne near the window, everything looked like it was one of a kind. Even priceless at that.

Freya motioned for Bell to go near the window, to which he complied. Then he saw it. The view. The lambryth city. From the pleasure district, where he fought for Haruhime, to the wall, where he trained with Ais. It was all there. He could see everything. All he could do now was stare out; his hand gently placed on the glass.

"Bell, although you're not strong enough to compare to Loki's children or mine, what you did was amazing. In such a short time you've come to grow so much. I wouldn't be surprised if you became the strongest adventurer in all of Orario".

No words could escape Bell, his cheeks were burning red as he gained the compliments of the leader of such a strong Familia, and such a beautiful leader at that.

"I can help you grow. To reach heights you have always dreamt of. To become a hero, have books written about you, which would inspire heroes for centuries to come".

Bell could only stare at her eyes, as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Bell-kun, be mine and you can see this every day. By my side".

A blush appeared on his cheeks.

* * *

**Back at the Hospital.**

"BELLLL-KUNNN, WE'RE BACK!". Hestia shouted in a laughing tone. However, her mood switched when she saw he wasn't there. In fact, everyone was surprised by this, especially since he was suppose to be resting at this moment in time.

"Welf, go ask the nurse where Bell is", Hestia ordered.

As Welf left, the rest of the Hestia Familia, with the exception of Mikoto, who was looking after the Hestia mansion with her old Familia, looked at each other, confused as to where he could have been.

"I'm not sure, sorry sir". Was the only reply Welf had gotten, as he kept asking nurses the same question. "_Where is Bell"_.

Returning back to Hestia, he told her how none of the nurses knew where Bell had gone, prompting her to go to the nurses herself and give them a piece of her mind.

As she was shouting at the nurses, there was one who looked oddly…. Guilty? Hestia marched up to her and asked her the same question Welf did. However this time, she couldn't lie.

"Where is my Bell-kun?" Hestia asked, monotoned.

"Lady Hestia…. Bell is…. With…. F-F-F-Freya".

_Gasp._

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes wide open. What could Freya want with Bell? Was she interested in him?

Everyone's thoughts were the same. They were all worried. They were all shocked. Compared to the adventurers of Freya's familia, Bell was nothing. What could she possibly want with him?

That was until Hestia remember what Loki said during the war game meeting. _"She's playin' ya"._

Hestia now realised what her words meant. Freya was interested in Bell. The magic he so suddenly gained from the Grimoire, her helping Hestia during the war game, even trying to say what Bell's alias should be. It all came together.

At this moment, Hestia could only think of one thing.

'_Why her'._

* * *

_Swnngggg_

Ais was currently training in the garden of her Familia's mansion. It had been about 2 hours since she tried to rest but couldn't, as she couldn't stop thinking about the boy. Even now, he was the only thing that she could think about.

_How is he? Has he recovered from his mind down? What is Freya planning to do?_

All of these thoughts distracted her from training properly, and the people observing her noticed. Her moves weren't as fluent as before. Her swings not as smooth. Her determination not as strong.

But none were in the position to go to the sword princess and tell her any of this. Even distracted, they were nothing compared to her raw speed and strength, so they all just did what they could. Walk off, hopefully without being noticed by her.

* * *

**Elsewhere in the mansion.**

There were three captains currently in a meeting. News from their scouts had reached them about Bell walking into Freya's residence alongside her. This was trouble. They all knew Freya only brought people into her residence in order to recruit them. Although they all liked and respected him, his unparalleled growth made him very dangerous. In Freya's hand, he could reach new heights, especially under the tutelage of Ottar.

They all believed Freya would just see Bell, but not actually try to recruit him. They all believed if that was her intention, she would have done it by now, and instead, like many others, she just wanted to watch Bells growth from a distance. Turns out, they were wrong.

Freya's familia was dangerous enough, especially having a level 7 under them. But to add Bell into the mix, it would only be a matter of time until Freya brainwashed Bell, and her familia crush theirs, and become the sole power of Orario. They couldn't let that happen.

Freya not letting Ais see Bell was one thing, but going to him and recruiting him was something entirely different. If Bell walked out, still as a member of Hestia, then it would be fine. However, if he did not, they had to strike first.

It was a hard decision, but all agreed they had to act first if something occurred. So Finn, with a heavy heart, gave an order.

"Summon the entire Familia".

* * *

Whats going to happen next? With Bell having power to resist Freya's charm will he still join her or would he stay with Hestia? He also now remembers how both him and ais proclaimed their love for each other.

By the way, Loki familia doesn't know about Bells ability to resist charm, so that's why their so worried she might charm him.

Anyway, thanks for reading and for the reviews. See you guys next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

The streets of Orario were quiet.

A gentle wind swept through the empty city. The bars were closed, the houses were barricaded and there was no one in sight. Mostly.

Everyone knew something big was about to occur, and this was just the calm before the storm. Some had locked themselves in their homes, others had hidden in the labyrinth of the city, hoping the confusing streets would keep them safe, whereas many had just left the city.

The guild was completely evacuated, knowing they didn't have the man-power to stop the war, they knew the tower of babel would be completely obliterated. All of the staff, as well as any people seeking even a glimpse of protection had left together, accompanied by some adventurers to the labyrinth. Ouranos and Fels on the other hand, were in the Halls of Prayer.

* * *

**Ontop an undisclosed rooftop**

Currently, an average-looking level 4 adventurer was updating his captain on their Familia's positions.

"Sir, currently Leyfia and the other lower levels are guarding the mansion, with loki inside the hidden vault room. The other executives and their respective teams are all in position, awaiting your order. It also seems that our sources were correct, and that Mia had re-joined the Freya Familia. However it is known that the other Hostesses are inside the guild for protection, so they would not be fighting ".

"Okay, good work Raul. Now take your position".

'_As I suspected, although we gave time for everyone to evacuate the city, we lost our advantage of surprise'._

"Sir".

The sudden call snapped the Prum Captain out of his thoughts.

"Yes", he replied back.

"There is still no news of the little rookie, so far no-one has seen him leave the residence".

"Ok, return to the mansion and take your position".

'_I don't have a good feeling about this'. _The adventurer thought as he looked down at his twitching thumb.

* * *

**Inside the Hephaestus Residence**

A fire blazed in the edge of the room, illuminating three figures standing around a table. They all had a sad look in their eyes, knowing the circumstances they were in, and it was dire.

"What's she doing to my Bell".

Currently, the 3 leaders of their familia were in a meeting. Hephaestus and Miach, Hestia were deciding on the role they should play on the upcoming battle, although; they could not do much. If they decided to make any move against Freya, they would be destroyed. They could image her voice now;

_Death, yes._

Not only did she have the only level 7 currently in the labyrinth city, one of only two in the world, she also had her fair share of level 6 and level 5 adventures. They wouldn't stand a chance. The only child that could even compete against them, was the level 5 captain of Hephaestus's Familia, but even she couldn't compare to the level 6 of Freya's Familia. The 3 leaders knew any move they made now would lead to their familia's deaths, and they just couldn't let that happen.

Then, there was the problem with the lack of information on Bell. Hestia had disclosed to her allies that Bell had an immunity to 'charm', so Freya couldn't charm him into joining her. But that wasn't the only trick that woman had in her sleeves. She was cunning, manipulative and ruthless. And Bell would be on the receiving end of her.

"Unfortunately, Freya's trying to get her claws into him. We can only wait and hope that Bell can resist her". The fiery-haired smith said with a heavy heart.

* * *

**In the Dining Halls of the Hephaestus Residence**

The walls, windows and doors were barricaded. Half of the mansion was off limits to just about anyone now, and although this may not be enough to stop the war from destroying the mansion if it came to that, keeping some areas safe was better than everything wasting away.

Groups of adventurers were eating their meals. Their faces covered in despair. No-one knew what would happen. Either way, one Familia was coming out on top. They were going to become the sole power in Orario, apart from the guild. And this thought, was scary.

Among them, were a young, distinct group of level 1 and level 2 adventures. Currently, Welf, Lily, Haruhime and Mikoto were in a… less-than-heated debate.

"I can't stand being here and just doing nothing!" A young smith complained.

"Well, we have to have faith in Master Bell". Haruhime replied

"I can't stand to image what that witch is doing to him right now", Lili said in disgust.

"Hopefully Bell has not given in. If anyone can overcome her charm, its him". Mikoto added.

"Yeah, well, still. Just sittin' here is startin' to get me! Im goin' to the forge." The red-haired adventurer replied, as he stood up and left.

"…"

"…"

The three ladies just gave each other knowing looks. They wanted to help Bell as much as he did, but at this time, there was nothing they could do.

* * *

**Ontop another undisclosed roof**

Ais was currently looking down on the city from atop of the roof. Deep in thought, with only one thing on her mind.

Bell.

Her resolve was fixed. Freya was going down, and Bell would join her again, on that wall, where she'd give him all the lap pillows she wanted, and no-one was going to stop her. She wouldn't hide it this time. She knew how she felt about the boy and was not afraid of everyone knowing.

With her hand on her sheath, she stared at Babel.

While a pair of silver eyes stared straight back at her.

* * *

**Some time ago, in the highest room of Babel.**

"Bell-kun, be mine and you can see this every day. By my side".

A blush appeared on the young rabbit-boy's cheek. He knew that she was staring at him all this time, and that she had somewhat interest in him, but he didn't suspect that she would just come out and say it. And in such an alluring way.

But, no, he already had Hestia and Lily and Welf and, a slight blush appeared across his cheeks, Ais. She loved him, and he loved her. Although he was sad that she hadn't come to visit him, Bell knew she must've had her reasons.

"Thank you, lady Freya, but I'm already in a Familia".

Suddenly, a hand cupped his cheek, causing them to erupt and become blazing red.

"Bell, are you sure? I can make all your dreams come true", she sung back.

It's clear Freya was using all her charm to seduce Bell. She heard from Ishtar that he was immune to charms, and she would test just how immune he was.

"I-I-I….. L-Lady F-Freya…I-I-I…"

She smiled, waiting in anticipating. He was going to be hers; she knew it.

"Cannot".

Her smile straightened. Then something no-one had ever seen her do. She frowned. She was angry. She got what she always wanted! Bell was to be hers, and he was to say yes. Yet he rejected her?

"Why?"

"I-I like my own F-Familia. I l-like m-my friends Lady F-Freya". Bell replied back, scared of the frowning woman in front of him.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind Bell?" Freya asked, forcing a smile, as her eyes pierced him.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry-y".

The colossal doors blew open.

"Allen?" Freya enquired in surprise as she was interrupted.

The colossal doors blew open.

"My lady, people are starting to evacuate and the city in going into lockdown. Rumour has it that the Loki Familia is planning to make a move against us"

'_Ais'. _The young adventurer thought.

"Hmm, I believed Loki wouldn't do anything of this kind…. This soon at least. Prepare the Familia and tell Ottar to meet me here".

The cat person nodded.

"Also, Allen, alert Mia that she will need to return".

"Yes, my lady" The cat-person replied with haste and left as quick as he came.

"Bell... Bell… Bell… What am I going to do with you? You've caused me so much trouble and you've rejected my request. Maybe there are other ways which may _persuade_ you to join". The silver haired woman stated, as her smile widened.

* * *

**Currently in Babel Tower**

All of the tower had been barricaded. The windows, the doors were locked and sealed, the stairs were demolished, making it somewhat harder for anyone to reach the higher floors, and the executives were scattered all over the building, with complete control over their individual groups.

The adventurers stood in their designated areas, awaiting the oncoming storm. The lower levels could be seen with dripping sweat on their faces,

Currently, a silver-haired beauty and a white-haired boy were staring intensely towards each other, their cheeks flushed red.

Freya was happy? She tried all of her means into persuading the boy into joining her familia. She tried to charm him, to seduce him, even to threaten him, but he still wouldn't budge. This was the first time this had ever happened, and it made Freya….

Hot.

No man had ever resisted her charms to such degree, no man had ever rejected her advances. His soul was shining bright, but he didn't want her. At first Freya was angry, but now, facing resistance to such a high degree, she was excited.

No man had ever made her work this hard. He was going to become hers. Freya was enchanted by him. And it showed. The crazy look in her eyes, the wide smile which graced her lips, and the blush on her cheeks, something which was rarely revealed.

Bell, on the other hand, was both scared and flustered. Not only did she try to threaten his Familia, which he knew would be a one-sided slaughter, she tried to seduce him multiple times. He didn't know how he was able to hold back his urges, but he was glad he did. If he gave in, even for a moment, he knew he would belong to Freya.

As of now, he knew he had to escape. But how? The Freya Familia was all over the building, and he knew he didn't stand a chance against the executives, as they were all higher levels than him. One shout and they would come swarming in. So, as of now, Bell knew he had to be patient rather than running away flustered like he would have before, he had to buy his time and look for an opening.

Bell POV:

'_Wow, even for someone who's done such things, she is beautiful. No Bell, don't give in, just a little more time…'_

Freya turned her head and started to look out of the window.

'_That gaze. Scary. Her cheeks aren't red anymore, and that frown. Who is she looking at?'_

'_Wait…. This is my chance!'_

"FIREBOLT!"

* * *

**Ontop an undisclosed roof**

'_hmm still no sign of Bell leaving. Kidnapping isn't really a Freya-thing. Did he join her familia? Hopefully not, but…_

"FIREBOLT!"

'What was that?!' The prum captain thought, his thoughts snapped to the shout.

Suddenly a white-haired adventurer jumped out of the tower of Babel, landing on one of the rooftops near.

Suddenly, another scream,

"ALLEN! GET HIM!".

That was Freya, and she did not sound pleased.

'_Hmm, so he resisted her. However, it's too late to turn back now'._

It was time.

"Move out", was the only command the Prum captain had to give.

* * *

**Bete's Group**

_CRASHH!_

Bete's group was the first to move. With Bete, there were 4 level 4 and 3 level 3 adventurers, with 2 level 2 mages for healing and distance attacks. As they broke through the main entrance, they completely destroyed the planks and equipment used in barricading the doors.

Their task was simple. Clear out the lower floor and head up.

As they entered the room, they saw a group of adventurers, mostly level 3s and 4s awaiting them. Once they saw Bete however, they started to sweat profusely.

As they stared each other down, Bete was the first to make a move.

"ATTACK!" Bete roared.

"UUUAAAAAAAA". The rest of his group followed.

"UUUUAAAAAAAAAA". Freya's adventurers screamed back, charging towards their enemy.

_TTTTDDDD. _With a kick, their fight began.

* * *

**Gareth's Group**

_Tsssscchhh. _Windows smashed as Gareth and his group jumped in on the 8th floor of the Tower. Under Gareths command were 3 level 4 adventurers and 3 level 3 adventureres, with 2 level 3 mages for support and healing.

As they entered the room, they witnessed nobody was there, so they decided to move forwards and up.

However, as they entered the second room on the 8th floor, the aura around them changed. As they looked ahead, they saw a woman, no, a beast staring straight back at them, with around 10 adventurers, all which seemed to be between level 2 to level 4, surrounding her. With a hammer in her hand, and covered in armour, she seemed like she was about to devour them.

Now they knew who they were going to face. One of the strongest adventurers in Orario, the ex-captain of the Freya Familia, Mia Grand.

"So, yer the one I'm gonna face, Mia". Gareth stated, not fazed by the adventurer in front of him. He was level 6 himself, and stronger than most. He knew he was going to have to face tough opponents anyway, so he already prepared himself.

"Seems like It". She replied back.

Next thing they knew, they were charging at each other.

* * *

**Riveria's group**

Tsscccchhhhhhh. Windows smashed as Riveria and her group jumped in on the 10th floor of Babel. Under Riveria's command were 3 level 4 adventurers, 2 level 2 adventurers, 1 level 4 mage and Tione, who would have rather been with Finn, but was ordered to go with Riveria.

As they smashed into the barely lit, barricaded room, they were met with eyes of adventurers which pierced into them. Infront of the awaited, Hedin, 2 gulliver brothers and a couple of what seemed to be around level 3 adventurers.

Hedin was an Elf himself, and although he had respected Riveria, he was going to do Lady Freya's bidding. Putting all hesitation aside, he stared at Riveria, with a look that frightened the lower levels of her respective Familia.

Tione had a small smile on her face. Ready to fight, her amazon instincts were about to take over. She was going to smash through them, and show them no one could mess with her familia.

So, their battles began with a single roar coming from the Amazonian,

"ARGGGGG"

They all charged at each other. Riveria stayed back, chanting her magic. She wanted to end this quickly.

"Harbringer of the end…"

Although the pallums were level 5, Tione was level 6, she was able to deal with them. The only problem was Hedin.

As her familia and her fought, they knew they just had to buy time until Riveria was finished chanting. So, with rage filling her heart, Tione shouted,

"BESERK!"

* * *

**Finn's Group**

Tssccchhhhh. Finn and his group broke through the windows and landed on the 12th floor. With Finn was Raul, 2 level 4s, 1 level 3, 2 level 2 mages and Tiona. As they crashed into the room, they looked around ready for battle, but no-one was there. Finn could sense his thumb twitching, so he was on high alert, however he still ordered his underlings to keep on moving forward.

'Hmm'. The Prum captain thought after they went through yet another empty room.

However, this changed when the doors opened to the last room before the stairs. In front of them was Hogni, the dark elf of the Freya Familia, along with 2 of the Pallum Brothers, with what seemed like 2 level 4 adventurers and 2 level 3s.

"So, it's you two we're facing I see". The Prum captain spoke, confident as ever.

"….."

"BESERK!", Tiona shouted.

With that, their fight began. As Finn faced off against Allen, Tiona took on the two Gulliver brothers.

* * *

**Ais POV:**

"FIREBOLT!"

'_Bell?'_ I thought.

'_As I saw a white-haired adventurer jump out of the Tower, I was happy. He resisted her charms. He wasn't becoming her slave. He was escaping that evil woman'._

"ALLEN!"

_Freya._

"Hyaaaaa".

'_Another adventurer jumped out?Allen. He's going after Bell. He's level 6, I need to stop him'._

"Hyaaan".

I Jumped down and headed towards their direction, which seemed to be the labyrinth.

* * *

**Bete's Group**

"ARGGG". An adventurer shouted as he tried to slash Bete with is sword.

_Grab._

"Tchhh. Weakling", was the only reply Bete gave before he kicked him into the wall.

There were bodies scattered all over the floor, Bete and his group had managed to make it to the 6th floor quickly, mostly due to the ferocity of their group leader. However, some of the lower levels were beginning to tire and others collapsed from exhaustion or their injuries. Even the healing magic of the mages couldn't help them. Even the level 4s with him were tired. So Bete gave an order,

"Take the fallen ones and head back to the base, I'll finish the rest".

"B-But sir..."

"That's a order!"

"Yes sir!"

With that, the adventurers headed back to the base, carrying their fallen companions, with the level 4s as protection. Although most enemies on their way down would be defeated, some may have woken up and may try to attack them.

Although It would have been wiser to keep some of his companions, most were on the blink of collapsing, whilst other had already collapsed. This way, he didn't need to worry about any of them dying.

Sending the rest of his team back to the manor, Bete headed up the stairs.

* * *

**Gareth's group**

"tchh. Mia, yer quite the fi'ter". Gareth stated, breathing heavily with bruises covering his body and cuts on his arms.

"Ye', so are ya", Mia replied back, her armour broken and destroyed, on the brink of collapsing due to the sheer might of the warrior in front of her.

Around them, a few adventurers were fighting, some were laying on the ground from mind down, whilst others from their injuries.

"AGGG"

_Thuddd_

Mia's hammer collided with Gareths, sending shockwaves through the room, and pushing the two adventurers back.

"ARRRGGG"

Gareth moved closer to Mia, swinging his hammer, which collided with her chest, causing her to fall down. As her head hit the ground, it was over, she had lost. The other members of her squad noticing this, put their hands up and stopped fighting. They knew it was over or them. They couldn't stand a chance now that Gareth was free to fight them, even with his injuries.

So, as they surrendered, the mages started their healing chants.

Suddenly, they hear loud noises of fighting in the floor beneath them. Then silence. As they all looked towards the door, the next thing they heard were footsteps, then the creaking on the door being opened.

Smiles illuminated their faces as they saw one of their executives. Bete.

Gareths eyes narrowed.

"Bete, wher's ya group".

"They got injured old man, so I sent 'em home".

"Ha!", The dwarf exclaimed.

* * *

**Riveria's group**

Riveria's first magic attack had failed. Although it did do some damage to the enemy, it was not nearly as much as they hoped for.

Currently, Tione was being pushed to the brink of her will, fighting not only against 2 of the gulliver brothers, but also against Hedin. Although her familia members tried to help, they stoof no chance against the three of them.

With cuts and bruises all over her skin, the only reason Tione was able to keep fighting was due to Beserk and her healing power, as well as the mages healing.

_Swnnng_

The gullliver brothers once against began their flurry of attacks, with Hedin joining in on key moments.

It was beginning to be too much for Tione. As she began to lower her arms due to her exhaustion, she hear the words,

"…Burn them through, Sword of Surtr- My name is Alf"

Tione jumped back, as flames engulfed the three members of the rival familia.

"AHHHHH", They all shouted as blazing fire began to burn them. None of them ever felt flames this intense. Their armour literally started melting off of them. When the flames stopped, they just stood there, in pain. Although the flames were intense, thanks to their 1st class adventurer bodies, they would still be able to heal from them. However, not now. Although they were fighting against mostly the Amazonian, they were still tired. She still a level 6. And now being hit by one of the strongest spells against one of the strongest mages in all of Orario was too much.

_Thuddd_

_Thuddd_

The two Gulliver brothers collapsed. The only one who was still standing was Hedin. But even he looked bruised and burned.

Tione, regained a small fraction of her strength after seeing such power and drinking a healing potion, charged in with all the power she could muster.

"BESERK!"

With that, she punched Hedin in the face, smashing his body against the wall.

The elf was down.

But so were a lot of their members.

Looking around, they could see bodies scattered everywhere. They hoped it was just due to being mind down or their injuries, and that they didn't die. The adventurers still fighting stopped. They had seen their executives being beaten, and the raw power of both the Amazonian and the Mage. So, they put their hands up and surrendered.

The adventures of Loki Familia started to bring the injured together, whilst Riveria started chanting her healing spell.

But then they heard footsteps walking towards them, coming from the upper floor.

* * *

**Finn's Group.**

They didn't stand a chance. It was over as soon as it started. Laying on the ground were the bodies of Finn and Tiona. Looking over them was Ottar. The King. The pinnacle of strength.

Already tired from winning their fight against the pallum brothers and Hogni, Finn told his family members to stay back and rest while they waited for everyone else to catch up. However, what happened next caught even Finn off-guard. Ottar walked down the stairs, holding a large greatsword. Then he stepped forward. Finn saw how the rest of his familia were exhausted, so he told them to stay back while he and tiona take care of Ottar. But the power of the King was too intense.

The last thing that Finn remembered was Tiona lying on the floor, and himself lying next to her, his vision blurry, as his eyelids felt heavy. Then darkness.

* * *

**The Labyrinth**

Ais was chasing after Allen, who in turn was chasing after Bell. She could feel getting closer to them. She could hear the destruction occurring, through Bells firebolts and through Allen throwing his spear. Hopefully no resident was going to become injured…or die.

Then something changed. She heard a loud scream, then silence. As she ran as fast as she could, with Ariel boosting her speed, she finally caught up with them.

Darkness ran through her as she saw the display. A spear pinning Bell to the ground, through his shoulder. She could see Allen kicking him while he was there, lying on the ground in pain. She could see the blood pouring out of his shoulder.

"Lil Rafaga", were the only words which Allen heard as he turned himself around.

The sword princess lunged towards Allen, her sword dead set on running through him. Allen reacted quickly,

_Shwnggg_

He took his spear out of Bells shoulder and made a defence against her strike. The power caused him to be flown back, and whilst recovering his balance, Ais once again attacked.

However, Allen is not called 'fastest in the city' for no reason. He deflects Ais's attack, landing on his feet. Then he jumps, lunging his speer towards the girl.

_Schhhhh._

Although Ais is able to move away, her armour was still scratched by her enemies' attack.

Next come an array of strikes from the cat-person, and while Ais is able to parry them, they still graze her armour.

'_He's fast',_ the sword princess thinks, in the midst of their heated battle.

Finally, as Allen thrusts his spear towards Ais, she dodges and manages to counter attack. As she swings her sword across her body,

_Ccrrrrrr_

She manages to cut his left cheek.

"AHHH! Grrrrr. Your' gonna pay for that! Stupid girl".

As their battle rages on, both get in good shots, however it is clear to both of them that Ais has the advantage due to Ariel, and also her endurance. The only thing Allen has on her is speed, however her winds counteract that, and level the playing field in terms of speed.

_Swnngggg_

_Crsshhhh_

Ais pushes more and more. Allen, now on the defensive, tries to block her but she proves to be too fast and too strong.

'_Curse those winds', _the cat-person thinks.

Seeing an opening, Ais finally shouts once again,

"Lil Rafaga!", thrusting her sword through the cat-person right abdomen, causing him to push his hands against the wound and crash onto the floor.

_Thudddd._

With that, the sword princess sheaths her sword, and runs to her bunny.

"Bell, are you ok?", she asks, applying pressure on his shoulder.

"Ais, you came for me", Bell replies back, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Of course. Bell, I l-l-love y-you", the sword princes states, as her right hand cups his cheek.

"Drink this", she states as he hands him a potition.

_Gulp_

"Feel better?", the sword princess asks.

"Yep, thanks to you", he replies back, causing her cheeks to heat up.

"Grrrr. You will pay for this Woman!", the cat person next to them threatens, however he just lays on the ground, applying pressure on his wound.

"Let's go Bell". Ais states as she picks him up.

* * *

Due to Ais's quick speed, a few moments later they arrived at Loki's mansion. The guards were surprised to see one of their executives, especially carrying the rabbit-boy. As Ais rushed inside and ordered her familia members to heal Bell, she stated;

"Bell, be safe. I'll be back, I need to help the others".

"Be careful, Ais".

With a small smile gracing her lips, she left.

* * *

**Back at Babel Tower**

Footsteps were coming their way.

The next thing they knew, the doors swung open, revealing a large Boar-like man, holding a dark great sword.

"Ottar", were the only words that would come out of the green-haired Elf's mouth.

* * *

And that's that. Thanks for reading, hope you guys liked it. Sorry for the late update. Thanks for the support and reviews. See you guys next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ottar", the Elf stated, shocked.

Although she knew her familia had to face Ottar, she thought he would have stayed on top of the tower. There, they could team up on him and defeat him. Although he is strong, he still wouldn't have been a match for the executives of the Loki Familia working together.

'_guessing from him coming down the stairs, he must've already defeated Finn'_, Riveria thought.

As the green-haired mage looked around, she could see her familia exhausted, with their bodies covered in bruises and cuts.

'_This is not going to end well'._

"Tione, how are you holding up?", the Elf asked.

"I'm fine! Let's take him out and get captain!", the young Amazonian proclaimed.

"Good. Everyone else, stay back!"

The fight would just be Tione and Riveria's. The rest of them didn't stand a chance. It would end up being a slaughter if they got involved.

"BESERK!", Tione shouted, but as soon as she sped forward…

_Thudd_

Mind down. She had already used her ability a few times, and although she wanted to push herself and fight, her mind could no longer take it.

"TIONE!", The Loki executive screamed.

"Go, contact the others", Riveria ordered to a group of adventurers in her command, causing them to run to find the other executives.

Now she had to focus on the man in front of her. The so called 'King'. Finn being down was really a blow for her morale, but she had to keep fighting.

'_It's us or them'_, she thought, as she moved her gaze to stare straight towards him.

Ottar moved his sword from his back to his side. He was ready to fight.

Without a word, he leapt forward, swing his sword towards his enemy.

However, Riveria had enough time to activate her magic to make a shield.

It wasn't enough.

"Aghhh!".

_Thudd_

She was flung back against the wall.

Her magic was not nearly as powerful as it was earlier. Due to her injuries and constantly using magic, to not only attack, but to heal, her power was dwindling.

She came to a realisation.

'_Was this Freya's plan all along? Wear us out, then have Ottar attack us while we were divided?'_

Her eyes glued to the floor, she heard footsteps.

The next moment, everything went dark.

* * *

Ais raced back to Babel tower. Now that Bell was safe, her main focus could be the battle.

'_Hopefully I can make it before they fight Ottar'_, she thought, knowing how strong the man was.

* * *

"Sir, Riveria and Tione are in trouble!", the young adventurer shouted as he reached Gareth and Bete with his group.

"What happen'd!?", Gareth shouted back.

"Ottar".

That was all they needed to know. Both Bete and Gareth had stern expressions on their faces.

"Stay 'ere and heal the rest!", gareth proclaimed as he and Bete ran off to help Riveria.

As they reached the staircase room, they wondered to themselves how they were going to fight against Ottar. Although both were level 6 and Gareth was a highly experienced adventurer, he was still injured due to the fight with Mia. Their thoughts were short lived as they heard a violent crash inside the room, causing to door to rip open.

It was Ottar.

His aura was something they had never experienced from him before.

'_Where's Riveria?'_, they both thought.

_Swnnng _

Ottar leapt forward and swinging his sword towards Gareth, who blocked it with his hammer.

Bete, seeing his opportunity, tried to kick Ottar, but was blocked by his arm.

However, Ottar wasn't done. He swung his sword at Bete, causing the latter to jump back. Ottar then rushed Bete whilst he was still getting his footing, hitting him with his sword, causing Bete to go crashing back into the wall.

"Aaahhhggggrrr", Bete stated, with his back smashed against the wall.

Knowing this was no time to stop, he looked back towards the giant and shouted;

"SOLMANI!,

With that, he jumped off of the wall and towards Ottar as both his speed and strength had increased.

At the same time, Gareth saw his opportunity and activates earth raid, causing the floor to collapse.

As Ottar fell down to the lower floor, Bete kicked him, causing the Beast-man's body to crash violently onto the floor.

"Arrggggg", Ottar shouted as he grabbed Bete's leg and flung him into an adjacent room.

As Gareth jumped down, he saw Bete being flung across the room, with Ottar standing back up on his feet.

'_Barely a scratch ay'_, the level 6 dwarf though.

Ottar then proceeding to leap towards Gareth, slashing his sword towards the Dwarfs body.

Gareth, however, activated 'Dverg Enhance', and managed to block the attack with his hammer again.

But as soon as the two collided once more, Gareth spat out blood. His body had reached its limit some time ago. It was sheer will power which enabled him to fight right now. But even that wasn't enough anymore, his body was starting to collapse.

Seeing this, Ottar slashed his sword again, this time to end this.

"Argggg"

_Tddddd_

Bete kicked Ottar, causing him to crash into the side of the room.

"Gareth, you alright"

"Yeah", Gareth stated before he spat out some more blood.

Although Bete hadn't needed to face any of the executives of the Freya Familia, Gareth had to face their ex-captain, so he wasn't surprised that Gareth was this injured.

Turning back to see Ottar regaining his footing and his composure, he could see the anger in the Beast-man's eyes.

Getting ready to face him again, Bete screamed as he launched towards the beast man.

"AGGGHHHH"

* * *

Ais rushed towards the tower of Babel.

Luckily, her battle against Allen had been quick, enabling her to save her energy.

Fortunate enough to go back to the mansion, she hadpicked up additional potions. She knew her Familia would need help, especially against Ottar. She only hoped she was not too late.

* * *

_Clangggg._

"Done".

The young smith smiled as he put out the flames of his workplace.

* * *

Bete tried to claw at Ottar, but the beast man was too quick for him. He blocked his attack with his sword and countered with a punch, but before he could swing his sword once more, Gareth jumped towards him, trying to smash his hammer on the giants arm. What happened next caused Gareth's eyes to widen. He had caught his hammer with his hands.

Ottar then proceeded to punch Gareth across the face, before kicking him into an adjacent room.

Just as the kick landed, Bete again launched towards the level 7, once more trying to swings his claws at the giant while he was distracted. But this was too little too late. Ottar blocked the attack with his claws and then swung his great sword.

_Thuddd._

"Ahhhh", Bete let out a pained scream as his body collided against a wall.

Not wanting to give his opponent time to recover, Ottar leapt towards him, his foot aiming to crush his opponent. But before he could, Bete rolled out of the way, jumping back to his feet.

As they stared at each other, Bete did what anyone else would find inconceivable.

He smiled.

"I knew yer would be tuff since yer level 7, but not dis much. Yer really are at anotha level".

He looked away from Ottar, out of the window at the moon.

It was now or never, he had to activate his trump.

_Ulfheoinn._

The aura the young adventurer changed into something fiercer, causing the air around him to become more tense. His hair grew, becoming fuller, more defined and sharper. Both is fangs and his claws grew, visibly looking sharper and more dangerous. The muscles in his arms and legs gained firmness, becoming more toned.

As both of the beast men stared at each other, Ottar was the first to move, lifting his great sword and jumping towards Bete.

In response Bete jumped to the side, causing the sword to smash the ground where he had stood.

Bete then launched towards Ottar, swinging his claws at the beast-mans face, but instead, slashing the giants arm which was used to block the attack.

As blood poured out of the man's arms, Bete launched a kick against him, causing the giant to grab his leg mid-air and fling him towards the ground like a ragdoll.

Ottar than lifted his foot and stomped it onto the werewolf's chest, causing him to cough up blood. But as soon as he lifted his great sword to finish the young adventurer off…

_Chhhhhhh._

A window broke, with a figure jumping through it and launching a strike against the giant.

Although Ottar managed to block the attack with his great sword, the pressure of the attack caused him to retreat back a few steps.

"Ais!"

"Sword Princess".

Looking at Bete on the floor, Ais flung him a healing potion, which Bete gulped in an instant.

Still in his beast form, with his body is partially healed, he stood up, turning his head to focus his attention on Ottar.

In return, Ottar stared at them both with a fierce gaze and a great sword in his hands.

As Bete was about to launch at him once more, Ais stopped him, throwing potions, which he grabbed.

"I'll keep him busy. Use these potions on our Familia".

Hesitantly, Bete noded and ran to find Gareth, who had collapsed earlier in the fight.

Staring at Ottar, Ais whispered a word, causing an increase of pressure in the room and for heavy winds to star swirling around her

"Ariel".

She then leapt into action, swinging her sword towards Ottar, who deflected it, and then tried to kick her, causing her to dodge the kick and jump back. She then jumped forward again and did a flurry of quick attacks, aiming for vital places in the giant's body. This, however, did not work as he dodged them with his great sword.

In retaliation, he swung his great sword towards her, causing her to be hurled backwards, and then leapt towards her, swinging his sword down, causing her to roll out of the way and get back onto her feet.

Knowing she would need a strong attack, she summoned as much wind power as she could and jumped, with her sword slashing towards him.

Although Ottar was quick enough to block her strike, due to the sheer force of her winds, his body was flung back, causing him to crash again a wall.

Keeping her momentum, Ais launched towards him, her sword once against slashing towards him, causing him to block her with his great sword but to be smashed through the wall, into another room.

As Ais once again leapt towards him to try to finish the battle, he blocked her once more, but this time kicking her off of him, causing her to jump back. He then jumped back onto his feet and launched his body towards her, swinging his great sword to strike her down. As she jumped to the side, he quickly changed the angle of the sword, causing the momentum to change direction, and hit her.

Luckily, she was able to block the attack with her sword, but the power of the level 7 still caused her to be hurled across the room.

Just as he walked towards her, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Ottar".

He looked to his left, seeing Mia all battered and bruised, but up. Behind her were the rest of the Familia executives, apart from Allen.

"The Loki Familia?"

"By the time we were healed and woken up, they were gone".

Ottar nodded.

Then he focused his attention back onto the Sword Princes, as did everyone else.

She was staring at him with vicious intent, as cuts and blood covered her body.

He took a step forward.

And another one.

And another one.

As he took his fourth step towards the girl, he heard another voice.

"Don't even think about it!"

Turning his head towards the right of the room, he could see all of his enemies, gathered in one place.

The one to raise his voice was their captain, Finn.

They're Familia didn't look well off either. Ottar could see everyone was injured, tired and had used up a lot of mind that hadn't been recoverable through potions.

The Familia members stared at each other, looking at what the other would do first.

Ottar knew if the other members of his Familia could hold the enemies back, he could finish off the Sword Princess, who, right now, was the most dangerous person since she was barely injured and had a lot of energy and mind left. He had to finish her off quickly before the others in his Familia were defeated.

As he thought of how to defeat her, one move came to mind. One move was powerful enough. He had used it against Udeaus, which caused half of its arm and face to be blown off.

Knowing he had to do it in one swift move, his head turned towards the girl as both Familia's got ready to move.

At a mindblowing speed, Ottar jumped forward, shouting

"Hildi.."

"FIREBOLT"

And that's that. I know it's been a while, but I've been really busy. Sorry for such a long wait, especially since it was a cliff hanger. I will update this series again probably by next week, so I'll see you again then.


	6. Chapter 6

"FIREBOLT!".

A round blaze of fire crashed against boar-man, knocking him off balance due to the surprise and power of the attack.

As Ottar landed on his feet, in between the 2 waring Familia's, he turned back, his eyes piercing the white-haired adventurer who had just attack him. In return, he could see red eyes staring straight back at him, full of anger.

"Don't you dare touch Ais!", Bells voice echoed throughout the room.

The members of both of the Famila's were all now staring at the boy who had just came in. The boy, who through no fault of his own, had caused this.

As they all stared in disbelief at his entrance, they noticed something. Instead of the usual knife he held during combat, he was holding a sword, which through their experienced eyes, they could all tell had magical properties.

'_A Crozzo sword?'_, Finn quickly tried to deduce. It was the only thing which made sense knowing who was in his Familia.

"I've already told Freya that I'm never joining her Familia! Why fight?!"

"The Loki Familia didn't mind their own business. They set the city up for a warzone, with a plan to attack us. They acted first. Now we will be the sole power in Orario".

"They only did that because you tried to kidnap me!"

"Be that as it may, it was none of their business. And now they will pay".

"I'm not going to let you hurt them, and I'm definitely not going to let you hurt her!", Bell shouted as he leapt through the air towards Ottar.

What caught everyone off surprise however, was that he moved faster than anyone had ever seen him. He was a blur to the Gulliver brothers, with the level 6's barely being able to make out his move.

One person who could see it though; was Ottar, who held his sword over his arm with both hands, assuming a defensive position.

As the two swords collided, a burst of fire shot out and surrounded them, causing Ottar to be pushed back.

Everyone looked stunned at what Bell had just done. He pushed Ottar back.

As Bell leapt forward once more, swinging his sword, the two Familia's charged each other, resuming their battle.

* * *

"Hestia?!"

"Bell-kun! You're alright!".

Currently, three people had visited Bell in a room Loki had kept him in. Those were Hestia, Haruhime and Welf.

As Hestia launched herself towards Bell, he held his arms out, blocking her from coddling him to death.

"Hestia-sama please stop".

_Pout._

"Fine".

"How ya doin' Bell?", Welf asked, trying to change the awkward tone of the current situation.

"I'm fine. To be honest I really want to help, but I'm still only level 4 and because of my injuries, there's not a lot I can do", Bell replied, sounding dejected.

"Well, I haven't updated your status since you got back from the dungeon. You want me to update it now?"

"Yes! I mean please yes".

Acknowledging the time constraint of the situation, Hestia quickly updated Bells skills, with a smile forming on her face as she handed him the piece of paper with his stats.

"L-L-L-LEVEL 5?!", Bell shouted, both as surprised as he was ecstatic.

Although he knew this wouldn't be enough. Luckily, he caught the gaze of the Renart who had a very rare magic.

"HARUHIME!", Bell shouted, as he ran towards her, grabbing her shoulders with his arms, causing her to turn bright red.

"Y-Yes?"

"Your power. Can you use it?"

"Yes, I haven't used it anytime recently".

"Great. Can you use it on me please?"

"S-Sure".

As Haruhime chanted her spell, Welf drew closer to Bell, extending his arms, as he held an object in his hands.

"What's this?"

"A very special sword. It has very powerful flame magic, but what distinguishes it from any other is that…Its unbreakable!", Welf replied back, shouting the last part with a smile which covered his face.

Bells eyes widened.

He didn't think it was possible for a magic sword to be unbreakable.

With this, he could use it as much as needed, and he didn't need to worry about it collapsing.

"…may it bestow good fortune upon you. Grow".

Bell could feel his body gaining more power.

With a smile, he jumped out of the window, running towards the girl he was going to protect!

* * *

_Swnnnggg._

_Whooshhhhh._

Bell's sword once again collided against Ottars, causing blazing red fires to crash against the Boar-man.

Although impactful, the magic seemed not to have a lot of effect against Ottar, resulting on only the sheer force of the impact to push him back.

As Bell went for another swing, Ottar spoke.

"My lady wished not for you to be hurt, but considering the circumstances, I will not be able to fulfil that request".

As Bell threw a potion towards Ais, Ottar charged him, swinging his sword towards Bell, which once collided, sent him crashing into the glass behind him.

He then jumped towards Bell, his sword swinging in a downwards motion. But before it could connect, Bell rolled out of the way, using his hands to propel him into standing up on his feet.

Bell then proceeded to kick Ottar, then backflipped as soon as a connection against the giant was made.

But, as Bell once again landed on his feet and looked in front of him, he could see only one thing.

Ottar didn't budge. At all.

Instead he launched at the white-haired adventurer, with his movement being almost a blur to Bell.

One second he was in front of Bell, the other, his foot was thrusted into his stomach, causing Bell to throw up blood.

On his knees looking up, Bell could see Ottar lifting his sword, to strike the final blow.

Bell closed his eyes, he couldn't move. The next move seemed as if it were his inevitable end, and as he felt the great sword being swung towards him, he heard an unexpected noise.

_Swnggggg._

Bell quickly opened his eyes, noticing Ottar was now 2 feet away and a woman with golden hair stood in front of him, with her sword in her hand and the power of the wind exuding from her with an aggression he had never seen before.

'Her wind is… dark?'

"Sword Princess", Ottar spoke, surprised she was able to move.

"DON'T TOUCH BELL!", She shouted as she lunged towards Ottar, smashing her sword into his, cutting him with her wind.

"GRRAHHHHH", Ottar screamed as he pushed her back with his sword, following through by kicking her in her stomach, causing her to be flung back across the room.

He then launched himself towards her, striking her once more, but this time with his great sword, causing her to defend with desperate and being knocking back onto the ground.

"AHHHHHHH", Ais screamed as her winds became fiercer, lifting her up from and ground and blowing Ottar away from her, whilst leaving cuts on his hard skin.

Using her winds to propel her towards him, she swung her sword desperate, slashing his shoulder and causing him to grunt in pain.

But, as she went for another swing, Ottar blocked her weapon and thrusted his towards her, causing a cut on her arm. He then once again swung his greatsword towards her, cracking her breastplate. But as he once again tried to strike her, he saw himself being launched across the room as flames burst around him.

"GET WAYA FROM HERE!"

_Crash._

Bell turned towards Ais.

"Ais, are you alright?"

"Need... To… Save… Bell".

"Ais".

"Kill".

Knowing something was happening to her, Bell tried to approach her, but the winds didn't allow him.

Pushing him back, he knew if he tried to go closer to her, they would cut him just as he had seen with Ottar.

But he didn't care.

No matter what, he was going to go to her and save her from whatever was happening. Just as she had saved and helped him ever since he stepped foot in the labyrinth city.

As he approached her, he grunted as he felt the wind putting cuts all over his body, with the pressure becoming more intense the closer he gained to her.

As he slowly drew closer to her, the only thoughts that would drive him further were the memories they shared. The sparring on the wall. The jagermarakuns they ate together. The lap pillows. He wanted to experience it all again. So, with one final big step, he was next to her.

But now that he was, what was he going to do to snap her out of whatever she was in.

He couldn't hurt her, but he couldn't stay like this, as new cuts formed on his body every second he was this close to her.

Not knowing what else to do, he did the only thing he could in that moment.

He opened his arms, and then wrapped them around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"I-I don't know what's going on, but please Ais. Come back", he whispered into her ears, as he tightened his hold on her.

The wind emanating from her increased in its fury, but just as quickly, it dispersed.

As Ais's senses came back into focus, she noticed some tight wrapped around her. But the heat it was exuding made her feel… warm.

As she pulled her face back from the persons chest, the first thing she noticed was white hair. Then bright red eye, which were… staring at her.

"B-Bell?", she quietly asked.

"A-Ais. Are you… okay?"

She nodded, with a faint red hue spread across her cheeks.

She then proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her, and sealing him into a bone crushing hug.

"A-Ais… C-Cant… B-Breath".

Hearing his words, she reluctantly let him go, but not before she squeezed once more.

Once recovered, Bell smiled towards her.

"It's great to see you too Ais".

However, his smile vanished as he felt a threatening presence behind him. Turning around, he could see Ottar staring at both of them.

Quickly downing recovery potions, his face turned towards Ais.

"You ready?"

She nodded.

Then, in a blink of an eye, they both jumped, charging towards the giant boar-man who stood opposing them.

Ais was the first to attack, swinging her sword towards his head, but as he blocked it, Bell swung his magic sword, aiming for his stomach.

Although Ottar was fast enough to block the sword, the combustion the fire caused spread all over his body, temporarily blinding him.

Seeing the opportunity, Ais went in for another attack, this time using tempest. As she swung her sword, she caused an immense wave of wind to crash into Ottar, which combined with the fire still left from Bell's attack, further igniting the flames surrounding Ottar.

But this wasn't enough.

Ottar stepped forward, out of the blaze, with deep anger in his eyes.

As Bell and Ais looked towards his body, they could barely see any visible burn marks.

'_Why did his skin have to be so thick!'_, Bell thought in frustration.

Although noticing it didn't do much harm, it still did some.

'_Maybe if we both attack together, using Ais's wind magic and my sword, it could do more damage'._

Bell looked towards Ais, who nodded, seemingly having a similar thought.

Getting ready to attack, first Bell launched forward, but before he could swing, Ottar became a blur, and before he knew it, Bell was blocking an incoming attack from the great sword.

Ais jumped from behind Bell, swing her sword towards Ottar, but instead of making connection with his head, he used both of his arms to swing his great sword against her weapon, effectively defending her attack.

Not letting this opportunity slip, Ottar then manuvered his sword once again at a perfect angle to strike Ais, his sword connecting with her breastplate, smashing it in half as she jumped back, landing next to Bell.

As they looked towards each other, they both knew the truth. The fight was wearing out and both Bell and Ais didn't have time on their hands.

Ais was barely holding it together, only able to fight due to the potions she had drank from Bell.

Bell knew as soon as Haruhime's magic ran out, it was the end.

But what could they do? Even as they currently were, Ottar was too fast. Too strong. And his body seemed immune to magic.

As all hope started to fade, Bell noticed distinct sparkles in his hand.

This was their chance.

"Ais! We need to buy some time!"

Looking towards Bell with a puzzled expression, then looking down at his hand she knew what he was planning. She nodded and then once again charged Ottar, with Bell following close behind her.

Luckily, having trained together, they both knew each other's moves and fighting styles, allowing them to try to use combination moves against Ottar.

_Swnnnggg. _

Ottar blocked the attack and tried to swing back at Ais, but as he did.

"Arggghhhh", Bell used his fire sword against Ottar, with Ais quickly attacking again with her wind, further increasing the size and the intensity of the flames, causing Ottar to stumble back.

'LIL RAFAGA', as soon as the flames vanished, Ais surrounded herself with her wind and leapt forward towards Ottar, smashing her sword into his defense, then proceeded to attack him with a barrage of strikes, of which he defended some but gained cuts due to how fast her attack was.

"GGGRRRRAAAAA", Ottar pushed her back with his sword, then swung his blade towards her.

Too slow to defend herself, Ottar's blade met its targets as he inflicted a deep wound in her leg.

Too injured and tried to defend herself, she weakly lifted up her sword, waiting for the oncoming slaughter. But as he charged forward, Bell pushed her out of the way, and then spun his body to face Ottar.

His body was glowing white.

This was his only chance to beat Ottar.

If he failed here, Ottar would just team up with the rest of his Familia to overwhelm the rest of the Loki Familia.

"ARGO VEST", Bell sent a wave of blazing white fire towards Ottar.

"GGGRRRRAAAAA", Ottar screamed as he used his blade to block the attack, but it wasn't enough.

The flames engulfed him.

Everyone turned around to see the giant man emerging from the blaze covered in injuries, as his body fell limp.

Letting his sword fall onto the ground first, he procceded to fll onto his knees. Then, crashed onto the floor, with his body laying motionless.

Shock filled the room.

The Freya Famalia couldn't believe it. Their strongest had been defeated. And by none other than that rabbit.

Everyone was injured, Allen was missing, and although not wanting to admit it, any further fighting would lead to their defeat.

Void of hope, the rest of the Freya Familia started to drop their weapons.

"May I take this as your surrender then?", Finn asked.

The members growled, but nodded nevertheless.

Cheers of victory emerged from the Loki Familia. However, in the midst of the noise, stood one rabbit running towards his princess.

"Ais. We did it! Now let's go to Riveria to heal you up", he said, smiling whilst lifting her up.

She smiled back.

"Yes…. We did".

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, this won't be the last chapter, theres 2 more, one will be the aftermath of all of this, and the other will be an epilogue, where I will time skip to after the defeat of the Dragon. Unless if I should do it in one chapter. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you again within a couple of weeks hopefully.


End file.
